


Crane of the (concrete) jungle

by Claireton



Series: The Silly Spinoff Adventures of Kate and Crane! [2]
Category: Dying Light (Video Game)
Genre: Crate, Not Canon Compliant, Other, POV Third Person, Rare Fandoms, Short One Shot, Silly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-05-26
Packaged: 2018-06-10 13:01:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6957526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Claireton/pseuds/Claireton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate and Crane are out on a run, but things don't exactly go according to plan. Namely thanks to a lack of spatial awareness on Kate's behalf.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crane of the (concrete) jungle

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! Instead of being a good person and updating the stories people are actually waiting for, I decided to write another dumb little thing inspired by watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COjU-BmUiRw (provided by our very own Tafferling!)

There it was. There was that stupid, big metal door that was the only way into that god forsaken building. Kate ran her tongue over her teeth as she regarded the hefty metal bar that had been used to secure it. It wouldn't be hard to move, having only been thrown onto two little L shaped pieces of metal to barricade the door behind it. They had been here yesterday, her and Crane, on top of the same bus, but the dance party of biters that had been outside meant it had been too risky to attempt getting in. This time the congregation had abandoned their doorstep rave in favour of a session a little ways down the street.

Crane nudged her elbow with his own and earned himself an agitated snatch of a look.

"I know." she hissed. Crane returned the favour with a shrug of shoulders and a _'What did I do?'_   look.

Kate sighed through her nose and inspected the path to the door. He was like a little kid, always poking at her, getting in the way and trying to point out things she already knew. She couldn't understand why she ever agreed to go with him. At least, that's what she told herself. Being on one's own had its advantages, certainly. You didn't have to rely on anyone. Nobody insisted that you share whatever you find. But then, having a presence with you could be comforting. Kate couldn't count the number of times that she had squatted herself in some crumbling old pile of bricks overnight and been too stressed to even attempt to close her eyes. Having someone else there alleviated the pressure. Didn't remove it of course, but made it just that much more bearable. Even when the person them self were quite practiced in the art of being unbearable, à la Crane.

A few seconds later and Kate was already down on the ground, halfway to the door before she heard Crane's heavy figure hit the ground behind her. By the time he caught up she was already at the door, surveying it with her hands pressed into her elbows.

"Need me to do it?" he asked, watching as Kate shook her head in refusal.

"Just make sure none of the freaks come get me." she ordered, jerking her head toward a distant group of biters before she hooked her hands under the bar.

It was heavier than she expected, requiring Kate to readjust her fingers before having another go at it. With a little bit of grunting the thing was lifted from its perch, weighing her hands down to her hips. It was long, nearly Kate's arm span and thick to boot.  In fact, it was quickly becoming too much, but she knew better than to just let the thing drop out of her hands. The biters liked loud, sudden noises, and no matter what was inside that building it wouldn't be worth being forced to stay overnight, or worse.

"Crane." she grunted, eager to delegate the work to him before she sealed both of their fates.

"Wha-" Crane was interrupted by the chime of metal clanging on the ground. Not sourced from Kate, of course. _She_ wasn't the one clumsy enough to drop her weapon on the floor as Crane had done with his machete.

"Shit." he muttered.

Kate clicked her tongue, turning to berate the idiot and tell him to take the bar from her. Crane bent over with the hopes of retrieving his weapon. The metal bar took the opportunity to whack him in the side of the head.

He crumpled to the ground.

A strangled squeal rose from Kate's throat.

"Crane!"

She threw her eyes around before ultimately deciding to hastily lower the evil thing to the ground. It threatened to trip her as she stepped over and dove to her knees beside his shoulder. He lay on his side, one half of his face kissing the ground with his left arm squashed beneath his body. For the first time since Kate had met him he wasn't wearing a scowl on his face, rather a more ambivalent expression like he was trying to decide whether he was happy to get some rest or upset that Kate had essentially attacked him.

"Don't be dead. Don't you _dare_ be dead, asshole." she warned, her voice quivering as she gripped his free arm and shook it fervently. Nothing.

"Okay fine, you can be dead, but just wait until we get somewhere safe first, alright?"

When he still didn't stir Kate groaned frustratedly and slapped his cheek a few times. Still nothing. With another wary look side to side she pressed her hand into his shoulder and pushed him flat on his back before straightening out his head to boot. She lowered her ear right into his face, feeling a pang of hope when there was a faint tickling against her skin. Breath. Still she grabbed his hand and dug her fingers around the general area of his wrist until she felt a steady beat and sighed with relief. Not dead. Not just yet.

The door behind her was still shut, and Kate could only pray that it wasn't locked on the other side too as she dropped his arm and scuttled up to his head. No chance that they could stay out in the open as they were. She hooked a hand in each of his armpits and raised his upper body, grunting through her teeth at the weight of even just his upper half. Crane's head lulled helplessly down to his chest, exposing a neck slightly slick with sweat to Kate as she strained to scrape him along.

"Fuck Crane, stop being so heavy!" she demanded, pausing for a few seconds to breathe before summoning it in her to continue. His shoes bounced lazily as they went, and Kate could only pray his jeans wouldn't snag in the ground and tear in half.

She got him two steps from the door before stopping to think. They hadn't scoped out the building yet. Not much point in dragging Crane in there if she was just going to get them both eaten. With a pitiful groan she lowered his shoulders down again and winced when the back of his head eagerly leapt back to kiss the concrete.

"Sorry."

She turned and grabbed hold of the door handle, unsheathing her own knife in a tense grip. Another quick glance either way revealed Crane in no immediate danger outside and she regarded the top of his head with a wistful stare.

"I won't be long." she promised.

"If I don't come back, just... play dead or something."

The door pulled open easily, welcoming Kate to a rather pristine room that resembled a rest room of sorts, one in dire need of a makeover. The concrete floors and walls were illuminated only by a series of thin windows that outlined the roof to Kate's right. A tall, but thin and mostly empty bookcase stood against the opposite wall and hugged close to a plush looking red armchair. Under the windows was paling chest of drawers that looked as though it had seen better days, spaced a fair distance from the circular green rug that helped the middle of it all look less empty. On the whole the room seemed like some sort of janitor's little private space. Probably not worth the effort to get in, and certainly not worth Kate rendering her partner unconscious for. On the plus side, it was small enough to declare free of threats and Kate pushed the door again after sheathing her knife. Thankfully, her slumbering acquaintance hadn't been eaten.

"Okay, it's nice and safe in there." Kate informed him, gripping his underarms again. In most any other situation she would have grimaced internally at how hot and ever so slightly damp the area was.

"Alright, nice and easy.."

The grating sound of his jeans against the ground filled the air, only interrupted by Kate's puffs of breath against the strain. With awkwardness she propped the door open enough to tug him in and turn her head to the armchair in the corner.

"Am I supposed to sit you upright or let you lie down?" she inquired, staring at his upside down face.

When he didn't answer she shook his shoulders around a bit and watched his head gently roll this way and that.

"Still not talking, huh?"

She eyed the armchair again.

"Alright, then we'll go with sitting up. Fifty percent chance of being right, y'know?"

She started heaving him backward again, staring down at his useless legs trailing along after them. Now that they were finally inside there was much less panic about being attacked, and the focus shifted to the flowering guilt that was coming about in Kate's chest.

"Why did you bend down, idiot?" she asked quietly.

"I mean, it's not like I-"

Kate yelped as her feet were taken out from under her, landing heavily on her tailbone and letting go of Crane in the process. After a brief moment of shock she hissed in pain and tenderly rubbed above her buttocks, wiring with pain after her fall. She glared down at the culprit; That ugly excuse for a rug had slipped under her heavy feet placement and thought it oh so funny to send both of them to the ground. She gave it a good long dirty look before checking on Crane again and blinking with surprise. He was still unconscious, of course, but that lifeless head had gone and dropped itself right on the floor between her legs - and quite far up, too. Less than half a ruler's length off. Something deep in her coiled and she cleared her throat loudly.

"You could buy me dinner first.." she murmured lamely, staring at those closed eyelids and inwardly praising any God she knew of that the man wasn't awake.

 She wormed her way away from Crane before snapping her feet under her and rising up again. She was more wary of the evil little hairy thing under her feet this time while she dragged her hapless victim along to the armchair. Once there she let him softly drop back down and stepped to the side, taking in his figure.

"Alright, now how do I get you up?"

The silence in the room was deafening.

"Keep talking to the unconscious guy, Kate. That's not stupid."

She grunted at herself and moved forward, throwing a foot over Crane's hip and swallowing her shame when she bent down to hook her hands under his arms again, from the front this time. She puffed up a few hyped breaths and tugged, just managing to get Crane to sit on his ass, looking rather like a broken marionette with limp arms encasing Kate's hands in his armpits and limp head uniting his chin and chest.

"Alright, ready?" Kate wondered.

With a very audible groan of effort she stepped back and hooshed Crane up in one fluid motion, speeding her arms to his back and connecting her hands. Immediately she regretted her decision, feeling her lower back and knees instantly begin to tremble and twitch in protest. Crane leaned into her completely, squashing her face against the top of his neck and draping his arms over her shoulders

"Bad idea. _Bad idea_." she mumbled into his skin.

"Okay okay, just one step at a time."

She slid her left foot forward. Shifted her body until Crane's back was a half a step closer to the armchair. Followed suit with the right foot. His breath toyed with some strands of her hair as they went. It made her scalp itch.

"Really should have picked you up closer to the chair."

At last the toes of her left foot hit the plump front of the armchair and she brought herself to a stop. Her hands unlatched from one another and slid back to Crane's shoulders; Not an easy task when those shoulders were digging into her with all their might. She lifted her foot back in preparation for a potent shove, only to snag the thing in Crane's limp leg.

"No!"

She went back, having no chance to save herself with the weight of Crane bearing down on her. The dull rush of air in her ears was loud above all else while she watched his face and prayed he would awake to catch them both. He didn't.

The air was evicted from her lungs by the floor crushing her body between itself and Crane, with her arms flopping out and hitting the floor on either side of her. By some divine grace she hadn't hit her own head and lost consciousness too, but rather been pinned down with Crane lying directly on top of her. H While she struggled to regain her breath she craned her neck to the side and silently willed him to wake up. Without much else to do until her energy returned, she snaked her eyes around the features of his face. She hadn't noticed before how much of a good jaw he had, and how his stubble complimented it so well. Nice, thick eyebrows too. Bit of a wide nose, but it suited him. Suited those dried out lips from which many a statement toward Kate's annoyance were made. How would they feel against hers?

Kate caught herself, tearing her eyes away and shaking her head. Ridiculous.

"I'd rather kiss Rais." she muttered, bringing her arms between them both again and pressing them into his shoulders.

With a strained grunt she managed to topple the man over onto his back and sucked in a few lungfuls of air.

Now how the hell was she going to explain all of this to Crane?

**Author's Note:**

> This didn't turn out the way I wanted, but watevs, I had fun writing it!


End file.
